New Prison Policy Reduces Furloughs

Prison Policy Reduces Furloughs

February 10, 1993|By LYNNE TUOHY; Courant Staff Writer

More than 250 convicts who were leaving prison regularly on furloughs a few months ago are now considered too much of a risk to the community to be released. They are affected by a revised furlough policy recently enacted by the Department of Correction.

"We're just being a lot more cautious," said Bill Flower, a department spokesman.

Of 532 convicts who were eligible for furloughs when the new policy went into effect in November, slightly more than half -- 271 -- were subsequently denied furloughs after their criminal histories and correction files were reviewed by five top correction administrators.

Commissioner Larry R. Meachum personally reviewed the decision made in each of the cases, and this week is expected to finish his review of 107 appeals filed by inmates.

"The primary reasons for denials have been the nature of the offense and the amount of time remaining to be served," Flower said. He also said that extensive publicity in recent years about convicts who have either fled or committed crimes while on furlough played a role in both tightening the policy and in reviewing convicts' eligibility for furlough.

"The media attention given to furlough failures in the last couple of years has caused a reduced level of acceptable violations," Flower said.

Furloughs can range from a few hours for an inmate to attend college or community programs to 72-hour home visits or emergency furloughs. Unlike other community-release programs used by the department, furloughs do not ease prison crowding.

"No one comes off the count when they go out on furlough, because you have to keep the bed open," Flower said.

The new policy requires convicts to have served at least 40 percent of their sentences before becoming eligible for furlough, compared to 10 percent in the past. It also restricts furloughs to the lower security-risk inmates; the old policy permitted inmates one notch above low-security to participate as well.

Among those denied further furloughs was convicted murderer William Parker, whose family members and supporters in the community have sent a flurry of letters on his behalf to Meachum and Gov. Lowell P. Weicker Jr.

Parker's case poses a paradox. His crimes are violent, including kidnapping and aggravated burglary in Ohio. His sentence on those convictions is being served simultaneously with the 23-year sentence he was given in Connecticut. He has served 13 years so far.

But Parker also has an umblemished prison record, a certificate of appreciation for helping establish the "Voices of Victory" prison choir at J.B. Gates Community Correctional Center in the Niantic section of East Lyme and a record of successfully completing more than 300 program and home-visit furloughs since July 1991. Of that number, Flower confirmed, at least 52 of the furloughs were two-day home visits.

According to letters to Weicker from Parker's mother, Alma Parker of New Haven, and his volunteer in the community, Harold Caple Jr. of New London, Parker has been using his recent home visits to bond with his son, who is 11 months old. Parker married his wife, Lynette Parker of Meriden, while on furlough.

"Something is amiss," Caple insisted. Parker was only a few weeks away from completing a semester, and his associate's degree, at Manchester Community-Technical College when he was transferred in November from the Morgan Street Detention Center in Hartford to J.B. Gates.

Correction officials had said that those convicts who had successful furlough records, but who faced ineligibility under the new policy, would have their cases carefully reviewed. Flower defended the decision made in Parker's case.

"How many stories have you written about people who have skipped from furlough, or who did something heinous while on furlough, even though they had previous success?" Flower asked. "Even if he [Parker] just skipped, it would be treated as if he was a murderer who climbed the fence at Somers [maximum security prison]